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That evening they’re all letting loose with a few drinks as they wait for dinner. Before they know it, however, small things start to trigger the group and a disagreement breaks out. That’s not surprising, of course, given the fact that Jen’s venomous ex sister-in-law and her gossipy future sister-in-law are in attendance. Adding to the fray are her two best friends from childhood—one of whom is a pop star sensation while the other is her publicly ditched ex-bandmate. Throw in their tennis coach and the group fashionista and fireworks were always sure to be on the horizon. A novel is such a major undertaking; there’s the writing of it, of course, then you’re spending months and months revising, polishing, and then promoting it. How did you know this was the book you wanted to spend the next couple of years on? The extent to which you might enjoy this convoluted and twisty tale will very much depend on your willingness to suspend disbelief. The initial set up is a little far fetched however at around the halfway point it stretches the bounds of credulity to beyond breaking point, and by the conclusion it's just plain ludicrous.
You are often inspired by locations – sometimes it is imagining what might take place in that location or sometimes it is something about the atmosphere that suggests something. The party of women consists of Samira, whom Jen has never met before, Zaki's lawyer sister, whom he asked to be included because as a mother of two young children that are a handful, she desperately needs a break from the chaos and mayhem of daily life. To Jen's surprise and delight, her longstanding friend from childhood, 42 year old celebrity singer Michelle, famous as Mica, is able to attend. Helena is another childhood friend, a music teacher, her children have left the nest and her husband, Neil, has left for another woman. She used to be part of the group, Cassidy, until Michelle dropped her to pursue a more financially lucrative career as a solo artist, something she has never forgiven her for, a hurt exacerbated by the fact the two used to be the best friends. Beattie is Jen's suspicious and embittered former sister-in-law, still grieving the loss of her brother, Jason, who disappeared in incriminating circumstances. Nicolette is a fashion expert, and Kennedy is a injured tennis coach, Jen has known for 7 months and feels close to. I’m sorry to be so critical. The prose is good and others who enjoy this genre may well like the book, but for me it was just a string of stale, implausible characters and situations. I hope that Brookmyre will hive us another Parlabane book, but it seems that his other fiction is really not for me. As we talk on the phone, he is preparing for an event in Edinburgh with his appearance at Conversations on the Coast coming up next week. Chris Brookmyre is a prolific author of crime fiction and one half of the highly successful Ambrose Parry writing partnership along with his wife Marisa Haetzman.I just don't know about this one, it seems both character and actions-wise the book a tad too convoluted. It was a tad too much to be able to tie it with a neat bow at the end. Messy!
When it is the winter months coming in, having somewhere for people to gather and in a cosy environment for a cosy discussion certainly seemed to create a conducive atmosphere to talk about books,” he enthuses. Chris Brookmyre on books – what’s he reading? From the top, the plot was where this story soared. Starting off as a slow burn as the women arrived and their relationships were established, things really got underway about a quarter of the way into the book. From there on out, the revolving door of multiple POVs kept me just as bamboozled as the characters themselves. And while each of their individual thoughts could have been confusing, they were anything but. In fact, the way it was written actually felt much more like a single POV storyline, but allowed for a near omniscient perspective. And for this plot to be a hit, that was a definite must.When one of the party mysteriously goes missing on the first night, Jennifer realizes she has made a terrible mistake: she has assembled this disparate bunch of women and the only thing they have in common is her…
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